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US sanctions China-based operator, others over...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/01

The United States on Friday announced fresh sanctions on entities and individuals it said were involved in trading Iranian petroleum, including a China-based oil terminal operator and a Chinese national, as it ramped up pressure on Tehran to end the conflict. The State Department said the operator, Qingdao Haiye Oil Terminal Co., Ltd, “imported tens of millions of barrels of sanctioned Iranian crude oil”. Also on the sanctions list are Li Xinchun, a Chinese national who is the president of a...

Oscar goes missing after director forced to check it...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/01

After being forced to check his Academy Award on a transatlantic flight, recent winner Pavel Talankin’s Oscar went missing before an airline tracked it down two days later. Talankin, who co-directed the best documentary winner Mr Nobody Against Putin, did not expect to have to check his statuette for a flight from New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport bound for Frankfurt, Germany, on Wednesday. But a Transportation Security Administration agent said it could not go on board. “At the airport, a

Trump says hostilities in Iran ‘terminated’ ahead of...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/01

US President Donald Trump told Congress on Friday that the hostilities in Iran “have terminated” following the ceasefire starting April 7, with the deadline for a congressional authorisation of the war looming. “There has been no exchange of fire between the United States Forces and Iran since April 7, 2026. The hostilities that began on February 28, 2026, have terminated,” Trump wrote in letters sent to the House and the Senate. Trump’s claims echoed previous remarks from senior officials in...

King Charles wins praise for deft handling of Trump...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/01

US President Donald Trump sang the praises of King Charles after the latter’s state visit this week. He even lifted some tariffs on Scotch whisky as a favour to the British monarch. The king delivered a diplomatic masterclass on the trip, mixing praise for his host with subtle criticism. It’s unclear, though, whether it will make a major difference to a transatlantic relationship troubled by divisions over issues including the Iran war. “In the short term probably yes, in the long term

Trump to put 25% tariffs on EU cars, says bloc not...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/01

US President Donald Trump said on Friday that he would increase the tariffs charged on cars and trucks from the European Union next week to 25 per cent, a move that could jolt the world economy at a fragile moment. Trump said in the post that the EU “is not complying with our fully agreed to Trade Deal”, though he did not flesh out his objections in the post. Trump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had agreed to the trade deal last July. It set a 15 per cent tariff on

Plane crash in US Texas state kills all 5 on board

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/01

A small plane crashed in Texas Hill Country, killing all five people aboard, officials said on Friday.The crash happened on Thursday night in Wimberley, a city about 40 miles (65km) southwest of Austin, Hays County Judge Ruben Becerra said on social media. The Federal Aviation Administration said the Cessna 421C crashed around 11.25pm with five people on board. It said the FAA and National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the crash. The plane took off from Amarillo, Texas, about

Wall Street rises towards more records as oil prices...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/01

The US stock market is rising towards more records on Friday after Apple, Estee Lauder and other big companies became the latest to deliver fatter profits for the start of the year than analysts expected. Modest dips for oil prices also helped to steady the relatively few stock markets open worldwide on the May Day holiday. The S&P 500 rose 0.6 per cent and added to its all-time high set the day before. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 226 points, or 0.5 per cent, as of 9.35am Eastern...

Beijing backs Cuba, Brazil slams BYD slave labour...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/01

We have selected six of the most interesting and important news stories covering Latin American relations from the past few weeks. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. Chile exposes smuggling ring that shipped US$917m in stolen copper to China Chinese buyers were the end destination of a five-year smuggling pipeline that drained an estimated US$917 million worth of stolen copper from Chile, authorities said in April after police dismantled the

Uber to buy cab-ordering platform FlyTaxi ahead of...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/01

Uber has announced it is acquiring the Hong Kong-based online cab-hailing platform FlyTaxi to expand its taxi services, ahead of the implementation of a regulatory regime for ride-hailing services later this year. In a statement on Friday, Uber said that its acquisition of FlyTaxi was part of its commitment to help grow the taxi industry and provide “greater economic opportunities” for drivers. It also said that FlyTaxi would continue to operate as normal and that nothing would change for...

Will Japan’s new arms export rules spark a high-end...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/01

Japan has overhauled its overseas arms transfer regulations, a move analysts said paves the way for the country to export high-end weapons and defence platforms, including sixth-generation fighter jets. On April 21, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi announced that her cabinet had amended the Three Principles on Transfer of Defence Equipment and Technology and the accompanying implementation guidelines that had constituted Japan’s framework for controlling military hardware and technology...

Hong Kong police investigate ‘suspicious’ fire after...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/01

Hong Kong authorities are investigating a suspicious fire that broke out in a residential flat, after a man died when he fell from the building and an elderly woman was overcome due to heavy smoke. Police received a report of the fire on Friday at around 7pm at a flat in Royal Garden, Ho Man Tin. Firefighters arrived at the scene, used a ladder to access the flat, and put out the blaze about 30 minutes later. During the incident, a man fell from the sixth floor of the building onto a car

More Hongkongers can drive to Macau under expanded...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/01

More Hong Kong permanent residents will soon be able to drive to Macau for work, sightseeing, family visits and business as the two cities move to expand an existing scheme to make better use of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge. The Transport Department said on Friday that all Hong Kong permanent residents and locally registered companies would be allowed to apply for 400 multiple-entry quota places under a new category for drivers of non-commercial private cars. Under the current scheme,

Why US may regret pushing allies towards greater...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/01

The need for the United States to start offloading some of its global responsibilities did not begin with Donald Trump. More than a decade ago, when working as a journalist and graduate student, I heard from political scientists and other observers of US foreign relations that allies would, at some point, need to rely less on Washington and start boosting their own defence budgets; this was particularly true of America’s European and East Asian allies, facing US adversaries in Russia and...

From banking to AI, these are the key international...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/01

The recent launch of the World Data Organization in Beijing added another node to a growing network of bodies headquartered in China with international participation and cross-border mandates. China is fostering these lenders, institutions and intergovernmental organisations as President Xi Jinping pushes for improved “global governance”. The move came as Washington’s measures – from global tariff hikes, war on Iran and the recently released “Economic Fury” strategy – have set back some key...

Hong Kong taxi driver arrested for dangerous driving,...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/01

Hong Kong police have arrested a taxi driver for dangerous driving on the first of the five-day mainland Chinese Labour Day “golden week” holiday, after he was caught reaching speeds of 160km/h (99.4mph) and completing a 42km ride in just half an hour. Police took enforcement action against the 31-year-old driver on Friday after intelligence officers found the arrestee, who mainly drives around Sai Kung, had frequently uploaded videos of dangerous driving online. “Officers went undercover as...

Beijing’s Xia Baolong, top energy official hold talks...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/01

Beijing’s point man on Hong Kong affairs and a senior national energy official have held meetings with CLP Holdings chairman Michael Kadoorie, with observers saying it signalled the firm was expected to help minimise livelihood disruptions amid the ongoing global fuel crisis and support the Northern Metropolis megaproject. The Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office said its director, Xia Baolong, spoke with Kadoorie, his son Philip Kadoorie and the senior management of energy firm CLP Power in...

Could Chinese mathematicians tip the balance in a US...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/01

A Chinese boycott of the “World Cup of mathematics” this year could be decisive, according to a co-organiser of a petition calling for the event to be moved out of the United States this year. Ila Varma, a University of Toronto mathematician and boycott co-organiser, said the country was “uniquely situated” to act – both as a target of US restrictions and as a major scientific powerhouse. “The Chinese government does not apply sanctions to US universities the way the US government does to...

Hong Kong seizes HK$16 million of counterfeit goods...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/01

Hong Kong authorities uncovered 23 cross-boundary and transshipment counterfeiting cases in a joint operation with mainland China and Macau in April, seizing about 46,000 items worth an estimated HK$16 million (US$2 million). The Customs and Excise Department said on Friday that the operation found that 21 cases involved local express couriers and logistics companies. The remaining two cases involved batches of counterfeit goods discovered on two inbound lorries at the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau...

Man jailed over attempted murder charge in stabbings...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/01

A 45-year-old man was charged on Friday with attempted murder in the stabbings of two Jewish men in London, the latest in a string of attacks that have sparked fear and anger in Britain’s Jewish community. Essa Suleiman was remanded into custody after appearing in Westminster Magistrates’ Court to face two counts of the charge related to the attack in Golders Green. He also faces a third count of attempted murder over an incident elsewhere in the city earlier the same day that left a man with...

China cuts tariffs on African goods but is it enough...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/01

African eels, frozen meat and rare earths now have one thing in common – at least in China. The commodities are among a wide variety of products that can enter the country tariff-free as part of a policy to help redress the continent’s massive trade imbalance with China. The zero-tariff policy has applied to 33 “least-developed” African countries since 2024 and, from May 1, has been expanded to include 20 “middle-income” African nations. The schedule will remain in effect for two years,

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